Were you there? Find yourself in Stuo’s gallery

Popular first choice of the day was Art Vs Science. This dynamic trio has been ripping apart ovals, pubs and one unfortunate school gym for most of the year, and they don’t appear to be wearing out. It was a surprise to see them on so early in the day, perhaps the line-up was created before anyone realised how popular they are, or maybe it was a genius ploy to get punters arriving early. Either way, it was surely a fantastic start for the festival, with their anthemic tunes seeing every arm raised and every flipper merrily digging up turf. Even the bizarre bee swarm migration over the crowd couldn’t dampen their spirits, though it did send a few people cowering in terror momentarily. In comparison to their recent headline shows though, the set seemed a little flat, not that they lacked enthusiasm, but by the time the sound reached the back of the crowd, it just didn’t have the punch of an indoor venue. It would be great to see them put inside a tent next time – œround, to get the full effect of their infectious tunes.

Wandering to the other side of the oval now for another Australian act, this one grown in our very own backyard. Boys Boys Boys were gracing the Water stage. They are possibly the cutest band in Perth at the moment. Their cheesy pop complete with dance moves, polkadots and innuendo is impossible to resist, and the modest crowd that had gathered in front of the huge stage were completely enthralled; the die-hard fans singing their little hearts out, while others skipped and danced about in childish wonder.

Boys Boys Boys’ competition in neighbouring Fire tent was Bertie Blackman (Sneaker Set). Although she has a distinct style that’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea, and it was a bit of a surprise to see her at a dance festival, anyone who made it in time for the great cover of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight would have been pleased, especially for that little moment before the drum solo when the crowd went absolutely ape-shit… As for her own songs: as expected, Birds of Prey and Heart went down very well and the crowd dispersed quite happily.

Then came that dreaded part of every festival, when everyone realises they really need a drink, or to go to the toilet or to piss around for half an hour waiting for people, and everyone seems to do it at the same time, so the lines are getting pretty scary by this point. But we all manage to get through it, unfortunately at the expense of seeing some awesome acts… arriving just as Autokratz fired up Stay The Same was a total fluke, so exciting, with the crowd going completely nuts, (and rightly so – what an awesome song!). The sudden realisation of who Autokratz is and that this is the end of their set was more than a little disappointing though, but that seems to happen every festival, so we have to just move on.

Straight after AutoKratz finished up, Busy P took to the stage, greeting the audience in a gorgeous French accent that had half the crowd in love with him before he touched finger to deck. For those of us who’ve been a little out of touch with the electro scene of late, he was such a nice surprise, pounding out great dance tracks that kept the crowd bouncing. Unfortunately, there were just so many great acts at the festival that it was hard to stay in one place for long… On we move again to join the throng busting to get into the Fire tent for Lady Sovereign.

The tent was completely packed, with several kiddies in much-too-short-shorts clamouring up the AV cage to get a better view of the teeny tiny “lady” affectionately called “Sov”. Lady she aint, but urban royalty she is fast becoming. Arriving late was a sure-fire way to see pretty much nothing at all, but the sound was pretty great, and audience participation was guaranteed when she delivered crowd favourite Love Me or Hate Me – and who doesn’t like a song with a big “fuck you” in it?

After a stop off to refill depleted water supplies and more of the aforementioned faffing about, we find ourselves back at the Air stage, where MstrKrft is churning out the kind of music they do best… though unfortunately it’s not really all that memorable… It’s that time of the day where things start to get weird, that confused twilight where no one can see in their sunnies but don’t quite know where to put them, where those so inclined begin to feel the chemical bonds of love for strangers, the time of day you are most likely to get hopelessly, completely lost, but by that point, you just don’t care, you just want to dance around like a maniac, and you somehow always manage to find your friends again. You finally find your groove and suddenly the music changes…

Crystal Castles has arrived. For anyone unfamiliar with their work, they are a strange, dishevelled electro pop duo best known for single, Crimewave. All the vocals are sung through a modulator that makes the words impossible to understand and mostly blend in with the music. It’s supposed to sound that way, but it’s hard not to wish that sometimes they would change it up a bit. At one point, the stunning Alice Glass climbed out into the crowd onto someone’s shoulders to sing, and the fans went just a tad insane. But for the average festival-goer, there just seemed to be something missing from the sound, maybe they’re another act that translates better to a confined space, or a smaller venue, or maybe it’s best enjoyed from the middle of the crowd, either way, they certainly seem like they’d be an acquired taste.

Metric on the other hand, certainly appealed to the more mainstream crowd. Their sweet pop melodies had the fire stage, well, on fire; and the dancers spilled well out of the tent, frolicking under the stars, singing to their hearts’ content before skipping over to the water stage to join the biggest crowd of the day to see the much celebrated Empire of the Sun.

The sound was great, the songs are undeniably good, but what do they look like? The film clips and photos promise quite an eccentric and spectacular show, and after squeezing far enough into the crowd to be able to catch a glimpse of the stage between heads they did not disappoint; with outrageously costumed dancers and headdresses complementing the quirky tones of Luke Steele, and the excitement and unity of the crowd as they played firm favourites We Are the People, and Walking On a Dream was something truly special.

One time slot is left for the day, and it’s always such a tough decision. Luckily, two stages were situated so close together that you didn’t have to choose. Spending some time dancing to legend Claude Von Stroke was fantastic, perhaps even more so because there was room to move! But after a while of waiting desperately to hear The Whistler to no avail, the lure of The Rapture was just too much.

Arriving just in time to hear Whoo! Alright — Yeah… Uh Huh, followed closely by House of Jealous Lovers was a stroke of absolute luck, followed by the nagging thought “Why oh why didn’t I come in here sooner?” But no time for regrets, as they kept on with track after track of music that makes you feel at times truly rapturous, finishing with the ever-popular No Sex for Ben, possibly the – œfunnest’ song ever written; what an awesome way to end an awesome day.

Were you there? Find yourself in Stuo’s gallery